Yadkin County :: Jonesville, Yadkinville, Boonville, and East Bend
Yadkin County is located in North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 38,406. Its county seat is Yadkinville. The highest point in the county is Star Peak near Jonesville, at 1,590 feet above sea level.
The county was formed in 1850 from the part of Surry County south of the Yadkin River, for which it was named.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 337 square miles (874 km2), of which, 336 square miles (869 km2) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km2) of it (0.57%) is water. Yadkin County is located in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. The Piedmont consists of rolling farmlands frequently broken by hills or valleys formed by streams. The extreme western section of the county contains the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the much higher Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Yadkin County marks the eastern end of the Brushy Mountains range; none of the peaks rise more than 400-500 feet above the surrounding countryside. The highest point in the county is Star Peak near Jonesville, at 1,590 feet above sea level.
Yadkin County has three high schools: Forbush, Starmount, and the Yadkin Early College.
Jonesville
Jonesville is the oldest town in Yadkin County, North Carolina. The population was 1,464 at the 2000 census. However, it grew by nearly 800 residents in 2001 when it merged with neighboring Arlington.
According to An Illustrated History of Yadkin County 1950-1980, by William E. Rutledge Jr., it was first known as Martinsborough and incorporated in 1811. The name was changed to Jonesville in honor of Hardy Jones (1747–1819), who fought in the American Revolution and lived in the town. A marker to him is on the lawn of Jonesville United Methodist Church.
The town grew up around the "Jonesville Male and Female Academy", according to Rutledge, a school that was affiliated with the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Church. The Rev. William L. Van Eaton, who was born in Davie County, was principal of the school. The school was at its peak in 1859.
In April 1865, troops commanded by Union Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem devastated the academy, breaking chandeliers and school equipment. This marked the end of the school.
The town's charter lapsed during the Civil War and was reactivated in 1873. It lasped again in the 1890s and was renewed in 1901.
One of the last pieces of early town history, a house once occupied by Van Eaton that dated back to the 1830s, was torn down in 1996. At the time, it was believed to be the oldest house in town.
On December 21, 1912, two elderly women and a young girl were killed and nearly 100 people were injured after the floor of the Jonesville High School auditorium collapsed during a Christmas concert (Winston-Salem Journal article, Dec. 24, 1912). As the floor of the second-floor auditorium gave way in the center, the audience of at least 300 people dropped to the first floor. Killed were: Nancy Swaim, Mrs. William Smith and Lexie Luffman, a 12-year-old girl. Sam Ray extinguished a fire in a stove in the auditorium as the floor began to collapse, saving many lives (Winston-Salem Journal).
The county seat is Yadkinville. The closest large city is Winston-Salem 30 miles away.
There is very little in the way of shopping, less than 10 restaurants, and several gas stations. It is a typical "Interstate town". The majority of fast food and gas stations are located close to I77.
The Yadkin River separates Jonesville from Elkin. The town is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area is sometimes referred to as the Tri-County Area. The town is in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley AVA may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels. At least a dozen wineries are located within 15 miles of the town.
Yadkinville
The population was 2,818 at the 2000 census. Located in the Piedmont Triad, it is the county seat and largest city of Yadkin County.
The area was chosen as the county seat with the founding of Yadkin County in 1850. It was first known as Wilson, in honor of Louis D. Wilson, a legislator who died in the Mexican War. However, the name was changed to Yadkinville in 1852 after it was discovered that another area, Wilson, North Carolina, already had the name. At the time the county seat was established, there was only one house in town.
Yadkinville was incorporated in 1857.
The first courthouse, a two-story brick building, was built in 1853 by William White of Hamptonville, North Carolina. The bricks were handmade on a farm north of town. The courthouse was torn down in 1958 and a new building was constructed.
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